Residents may block £1 land sale

CAMPAIGNING residents may be able to block controversial proposals to sell a 3.3 acre greenfield site for £1 to enable an “affordable homes” scheme to go ahead.
Action group Save the Field is making an application for the site, at the rear of Chester Road, Stockton Heath to be designated as a village green.
They claim this will put a block on any development on the site for at least two years.
Members of Warrington Borough Council’s executive board caused a storm when they agreed to sell the land to Warrington Housing Association for a nominal £1.
Market value of the site is £1.6 million and local residents want it to be retained as public open space. Stockton Heath Parish Council has also lodged objections to the scheme – which has yet to be given planning consent – on the grounds that greenfield land should not be used for development when brownfield land is available.
But the borough council points out that the deal will result in Warrington securing £3.7 million from the Housing Corporation.
Five borough councillors opposed to the scheme have “called in” the executive board’s decision for further scrutiny. This means the matter will be considered by the scrutiny committee.
Residents claim the land – known locally as Cartwright’s Field – provides a valuable play space for local children and that construction of 51 new homes will result in increased traffic and pressure on local amenities.
Nearly 50 residents have provided evidence of continuous use of the land for recreation purposes for more than 20 years – an essential qualification if it is to be designated a village green.